Type 2 diabetes can seem negligible at first because the symptoms are often subtle or non-existent in the beginning. Over time, however, the condition can lead to grave health problems. This is because the mechanisms involved in diabetes take a while to produce their harmful outcomes.
Type 2 diabetes means one of two things: your pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the cells cannot take up the insulin.
Either way, the outcome is the same – your blood sugar levels are left unconstrained.
Insulin regulates blood sugar and without this moderating influence, blood sugar levels continue to rise.
Eventually, blood sugar levels can damage the blood vessels in your body, leading to all manner of complications, such as heart disease.
How to stop this happening
To compensate for the impaired insulin production, you have to turn to your diet.
Certain dietary choices have been shown to mimic the effect of insulin, thereby helping to stabilise blood sugar levels.
Research suggests that alpha-lipoic acid, also known as ALA, performs this task particularly well.
ALA is an organic compound that is naturally found in foods, such as spinach, broccoli and red meat, but it is also taken as a dietary supplement.
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According to one study, when people with type 2 diabetes took 300, 600, 900 or 1,200 mg of ALA alongside their usual diabetes treatment for six months, fasting blood sugar and A1C decreased more as the dose increased.
Fasting blood sugar is a test to determine how much glucose (sugar) is in a blood sample after an overnight fast, whereas an A1C test is a blood test that reflects your average blood glucose levels over the past three months.
How does it work?
Scientists believe ALA may improve insulin sensitivity and your cells’ uptake of sugar from your blood, though it may take a few months to experience these effects.
Moreover, ALA may lower the risk of diabetes complications.
It’s proven to ease symptoms of nerve damage and lower the risk of diabetic retinopathy (eye damage) that can occur with uncontrolled diabetes.
It’s believed that this effect is due to the powerful antioxidant properties of ALA.
Antioxidants are molecules that fight free radicals in your body. Free radicals are compounds that can cause harm if their levels become too high in your body – they are associated with diabetes.
General tips to lower blood sugar
There’s nothing you cannot eat if you have type 2 diabetes, but you’ll have to limit certain foods.
Foods with a high carbohydrate content are broken down into glucose relatively quickly, which may have a more pronounced effect on blood sugar.
Physical exercise helps lower your blood sugar level, according to the NHS.
The health body recommends at least 2.5 hours of activity a week to normalise blood sugar levels.
You can be active anywhere as long as what you’re doing gets you out of breath.
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